New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-09
THE IDYL or THE GRADY.

In the land OF coons and cotton,
Land OF bayOus and OF Bourbons,
Land OF hOc-cakes and magnolias,
And the widemOuthed alligatOrs
That are fond Of Northern tourists;
In the land of endless summer
Where the carpet-bagging blizzard
Freezes up the orange orchards
Run ~ Mrs stowe and others
In this land resides the Grady,
Grady of the fair Atlanta
In the fine old State of Georgia
III.
As he sat within his sanctum
Writing with his pen OF iron
Pen OF iron, point OF diamond
As he piled the cleaning scissors.
And the paste-pot handled deity,
While anon the agile devil
Supplcating stood for copy
Came u voice from far Manhattan
To the ear OF him the Grady.
Said the voice: 80, come ana see us,
Grady, come and have some dinner,
Have plain Ncw-England dinner"
Grady heard with eyes a-glisten.
Heard with bosom wildly throbDing,
Heard with joyous expectation.
And he sent a message flying
From Atlanta 10 Manhattan,
Saying-many thanks returning
He would gladly come 10 dinner.
III.
Grady came and ate his dinner
On the Island of Manhattan.
Ate that plain New-England dinner;
When the loving feast was over.
When the fragrant weed WAS lighted
And the ke-wreaths mounted upward,
While the toast raped for order,
Then became the tables vocal
With the calls for "GradyW "Gradyw
Calls for Henry W. Grady!
Calls for " Henry Wooden Grady"
Calls for "Grady OF Atlanta"
Bashful as IA mountain daisy,
Blushing like Nassar freshman,
Yet with mien Of one undaunted,
And with face as bright as sunshine.
And with tongue OF sterling silver.
While the table rOared about him
With its well-deep Northern welcome,
To his feet arose the Grady.
".
Veni, rib. rici, Grady.
Lo he came and spoke and conquered
With his frankness ana his feryor,
With his wit-shafts and his patbos.
With his tender words OF Lincoln,
With his levclhcaded message
From the palm-tree 10 the pine-trcc.
With his pledged assurance
That the New south was torgetful
OF the things that lay behind her
While she forward pressed for better.
When he sat him down the table y
Rang with plaudits To the speaker.
And they telegraphed Atlanta:
3" He has done you proud, has Grady"
v.
II. perchancc. the head of Grady
Ached the morning after dinner.
IL he ushered in his breakfast
With "a double breasted cocktail,
If his hat, Ia his amazemcnt.
Seemed too small by many sizes
To DISCHARGE its normal function
That is Grady's private matter.
Nor may strangers intermediate.
vi.
When the train that bore him hOmcward
Came 10 halt In fair Atlanta,
All the population met hun
And In Joy and pride OF Grady
Painted all the town with crimson,
With vivid shade OF crimson.
Now they're naming babies Grady.
Naming hats and ties The Grady"
And they're swearing to the Senate
They will elevate the Grady;
Aye, his party friends are whispering
That the magic name OF Grady
Would adOrn their coming ticket,
Whether IL be spliccd To Cleyelands
Or the style be Hill aud Grady
VII.
Grady, sitting In thy sanctum
Writing with thy pen OF iron.
shearing with the cleaning scissors.
Pasfing with the paste tenacious,
Framing in the fatal basket,
Many an interpretive sonnet,
Owing 10 the fearful pressure
On The Constitutions columns,
while anon the agile devil
Rnshing down with locks disheyeiled
supplicates for further copy
Grady, let them not destroy thee
With tho lava OF their taffy;
When admiring delegations
Wait upon thee with the offer. I
10 recall the name OF New-S0utns
Substituting Gradians, N
Tell them that they must excuse tneS 4
Tell thom that your taste In chapleS
L for something not 80 gaudy. N